The Equalizer: What we can be thankful for

U.S. men’s soccer has been under considerable criticism lately. Ever since we didn’t qualify for the 2018 World Cup, soccer fans, pundits and writers like myself have explored every problem under the sun that our sport faces. But it’s Thanksgiving season, and it’s time we appreciate what we have. Soccer has come a long way in this country: only 15 years ago, Major League Soccer (MLS) was on the brink of folding, and now, soccer is among young people’s favorite sports and the league is expanding faster than ever.

Atlanta United FC (ATL UTD) may be the most beautiful example to date. In its inaugural season, ATL UTD got the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, but what truly amazed MLS was not its play: Atlanta averaged 46,318 fans during its home games, the highest among all MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS teams.

More promising are all of our stars featured in the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) friendly against Portugal two weeks ago. Weston McKennie scored in his debut but also hit the crossbar. Tyler Adams and Danny Williams were industrious in the midfield and Ethan Horvath and Bill Hamid proved that there will be healthy competition for Tim Howard’s replacement. They tied the Cristiano Ronaldo-less European Champions, and although it was a friendly, the young players looked hungry to prove themselves.

We can also be thankful for all of our youth players forging their own paths and opting to play abroad. Ten years ago, playing abroad was considered only a possibility for a select few, but nowadays it’s not unusual to see Americans in European lineups. Center back Matt Miazga is getting quality minutes at Dutch side Vitesse, scoring a goal against Den Haag over the weekend. Miazga’s U-20 World Cup center back partner,Cameron Carter-Vickers, is still only 19 and will be looking to break into Tottenham’s senior side after he finishes his loan with Sheffield on Wednesday.

Attacking midfielder and 19-year old Joshua Pérez just signed a four-year deal with Italian first division side Fiorentina, and 17-year old Josh Sargent, who recently lit up the U-17 World Cup in India, is off to Werder Bremen of Germany this winter where he’ll be looking for first-team action.

And of course, our lord and savior Christian Pulisic will look to take the Bundesliga by storm. There are even rumors that he may move this summer to Liverpool or Real Madrid, which would undoubtedly be the biggest American transfer of all time. If the transfer panned out well, it would also cement Pulisic’s legacy as the best American player of all time, which is absurd considering he’s still only 19 years old.

What’s most promising is that many fans are being enlightened on the true state of our sport. Never mind that not qualifying for the World Cup was required for people to start asking questions. The U.S. Soccer Federation presidency will finally be challenged for the first time in 11 years by numerous nominees, hopefully leading to meaningful, positive change for the future. But change takes time. For now, for just a little, we can be grateful for how far the sport we love so much has come.